Surprisingly the wireless charging market has not been over saturated.  Palm made big news two years ago when they announced the Palm PRE, a phone that included its very own inductive charging system.  This past year, at CES, Case-mate introduced their HUG case and charger for the iPhone.  It accomplishes the same feat at Powermat‘s solution, but is built specifically for the iPhone, though other cases are due.

I could sit here and talk about build quality and aesthetics, but there is one elephant in the room: does the Hug effectively charge the iPhone?  Not really.  In my testing, against the Powermat, the Case-mate Hug took more than 3o minutes longer to charge my iPhone from a completely dead battery to a full charge.

In both testing instances I drained my iPhone 3Gs’ battery to the point where the iPhone would no longer power up.  I then attached the case and placed it on the included charging stand.  I immediately snapped my first pic, which as you can see is time coded for proof.  Additionally, once the phone powered on you can see the time of day, which doubles as credibility to the amount of time the iPhone took to charge on both platforms.

Case-mate Hug

• Start time: 1:19PM
• End Time: 4:09
• Total time: 2:50

Powermat

• Star time: 9:19pm
• End Time: 11:39pm
• Total Time: 2:20

I’m not sure why the Case-mate took longer, but since it costs less and it isn’t their core business I can only assume that the components used are cheaper.  But, keep in mind that since Case-mate is part of the wireless power consortium, the Hug and the mat should be compatible with other products and manufactures that have joined this group.  Ostensibly, airports, coffee shops and more could adopt the same technology and then just by placing your phone onto a Hug compatible table/charger you could charge your device on the go without having to pull out a cord.

Pocket wise the Hug is a little bulky for my liking.  For that reason I didn’t keep the case on my iPhone unless I was charging it.  The bottom piece fixes to the phone by itself, though the top piece, a small piece of plastic completes the aesthetic and snaps into the bottom piece to form a complete case.  The top piece felt a bit flimsy and I got the feeling it could snap during one wrong insert (and it’s probably easy to lose).

Until Apple and other manufacturers build this functionality into the phone itself (like Palm) the convenience is very minimal (Powermat recently introduced a set of batteries that are compatible with their system).  And even then you still have to place the phone or device onto a physical mat, something that many will find is not all that convenient.  The Case-mate Hug all but completely failed me, and at an almost 4 hour charge time it might as well have.

Note: The Case-mate test is shown with just 3G connectivity while the Powermat test with WiFi. While a 3G only signal draws more power it shouldn’t cause such a vast difference in charge times, so I’d say the point is moot.

Pros:

• Part of Wireless Power Consortium
• Lower price than competition
• Protective case

Cons:

• Took almost 3 hours for a complete charge
• Top piece of case is flimsy
• Case is so bulky defeats iPhone slimness

Update: There is something wrong with the time lapse sequence – it’s cutting off the last frame so you can’t see the final and complete charge time.

When we first wrote about Case-mate’s Hug wireless charging pad we swore the rep told us it would be available that month, January.  But here we are already into March and still no hug (yeah, I need a hug).

But today Case-mate officially announced the Hug’s availability as of March 8th.  It will retail for $99.99 – $10 more than expected – but still not bad when compared to Powermat‘s offering.  Keep in mind that this is the first wireless charging solution to hit the market that is part of the Wireless Power Consortium, which I guess should mean some level of compatibility from iteration to iteration or product to product.   Expect other Hug compatible chargers (Blackberry, etc) to arrive shortly after.

CASE-MATE HUG NOW AVAILABLE
Mobile Users Can Now Purchase the First Charging Pad Developed in Concert With the Wireless Power Consortium

ATLANTA – March 8, 2010 – Case-mate, a designer of innovative accessories for mobile devices and electronics, today announced the availability of the Hug, a new protective case and charging pad for the iPhone® that showcases the evolution of wireless power.  Created to give iPhone users a more convenient way to charge, the design-forward Hug delivers power without cumbersome cords or adaptors.

“The mobile phone is undoubtedly one of the most essential electronic devices to consumers today,” said Shashi Reddy, founder and CEO of case-mate.  “And with the availability of the Hug, we’re giving iPhone users a new way to easily re-charge – helping them get just a little more convenience and reliability out of the device that they so strongly rely upon each day.”

Hug Your Battery To Life
As the first charging pad to come out of a partnership with the Wireless Power Consortium, the Hug has been created to give Apple® iPhone 3G and Apple iPhone 3GS users a wire-free charging experience.  Users simply slip their iPhone into the sleek Hug case and then place the phone onto the Hug charging pad.

Key product features include:
Efficient – The Hug delivers a “smart charge.”  It knows when the iPhone has reached a complete charge and, at that time, stops pulling power.
Convenient – The Hug charges just as fast as traditional chargers, but without the hassle of cords and wires.  Instead the charging pad transfers power wirelessly through a magnetic field to the iPhone enclosed in the Hug case.
Design-Forward – The Hug, featuring a sleek two-part case and a charging mat, is constructed with durable injection-molded materials with true aluminum metal and accents.  Its form factor was inspired by the flowing lines of the golden age of sport automotive design.
Added Protection – The Hug comes with a durable, shock absorbing case and a charging pad.  A screen protection kit is also included for total iPhone protection.
Interoperable – The Hug is the first charging pad to be is designed in accordance to the specifications of the Wireless Power Consortium.

Pricing and Availability
The case-mate Hug is now available for the Apple iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS at www.case-mate.com <http://www.case-mate.com>.  The Hug, which includes the charging pad, iPhone case and screen protection kit, retails for $99.99.  Versions will be available for additional mobile devices, including most BlackBerry models in the coming months.  Case-mate will also offer a Hug that supports the charging of multiple devices simultaneously.

About case-mate
Launching innovative accessories since 2006, case-mate combines design engineering with cutting-edge materials to protect and enhance technology.  A melting pot of entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world, case-mate believe that there is nothing more important than the freedom of self-expression … our mantra “Freedom To Be Truly You” inspires every creative output, every day.  This core principle carries through our products, packaging and partnerships and brings to life case-mate’s vision in a dynamic technology marketplace. To learn more, please visit www.case-mate.com <http://www.case-mate.com>.

When I saw I Make My Case at CES I was more than impressed, I was flabbergasted.  I know, who cares about an iPhone case that much?  Well, that’s exactly it.  Usually I hate all aftermarket cases since it defeats my purist attitude to the iPhone, plus most cases are an attempt to make you an individual but since they’re prefabricated it negates that.  So you see, the chance to adhere my own design to a case, and one that is super slim and svelte feeling, well, I had to jump at the opportunity.  Disclaimer: So I reached out to Case-mate and they hooked me up with a coupon code for one free case, which usually costs $40.  Yeah, it’s not cheap, but that’s the price you pay for individualism.

Due to copyright issues, and God knows what else Case-mate could get sued for, they’ve chosen to go the route of artist palettes only.  Basically that means they’ve commissioned artists to make some prefabricated cases – some cool designs I might add – as well as a set of palettes (think Photoshop custom shape tool) that let’s you make an almost 100% custom case.

The site is built entirely on Flash, so be patient and as with Flash expect it to be a big processor suck. My last gen 15-inch Macbook Pro non-unibody Mac would turn on its fan anytime I visited the site to build or modify my custom cases.  From a UI standpoint it’s all rather intuitive.  Just pick the artist that most represents your style, choose customize (Design your case with ‘artist name’) and you’re in.

There are three options: Backgrounds (the color of the case), Elements (shapes, paint splatters, etc) and Tools (mirror effect, Colorist effect, Kaleidoscope).  Designing your case is as simple as picking one or all of these options.  The real customization is in what you do with the Elements since these have the most variability in how they behave on the case and the largest palette of any of the three options.  Some, not all of the Elements allow you to increase/decrease size as well as rotate them 360 degrees.  Others, however behave like a spray paint can (numerous instances with one click) or appear just once.  I didn’t care for the spray paint can like Elements since they were difficult to control and tended to remove the custom feeling.

When it comes to designs, I prefer two colors max – just a personal preference.  But more often than not the Elements I wanted to use were available in more than two colors and left my case looking like a leprechaun had puked all over it.  To get around this I used the Colorizer tool to change my entire design to red.  The only downside to using this tool is that the more you use it the darker the colors become; kind of like layering coats of paint onto a white wall.  So I suggest you use this effect at the end of your design if you’re trying to achieve a uniform color.  Of note the Mirror and Kaleidoscope effects were useful, especially if you would like to have some sense of uniformity to your design.  In the end I didn’t use these tool, but still appreciated their abilities.

Once you’ve completed your design, which you can share on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr to get feedback, you just need to purchase the case.  I ordered my 7 days ago and today it showed up on my doorstep.  The boxing mimics the Apple iPhone, except it’s white and included is a screen protector, a cleaning cloth and an additional rubber case that has now alluded my presence (Jeff stole it from me).  I’m rather surprised they’d send an additional case with the package, but even if they hadn’t I’m very impressed with the quality and packaging.  If I had to complain about anything it’s the excessive amount of business sized cards contained inside the box, but a moot issue nonetheless.

As far as my custom case goes, I love it.  As you can see from the pics, though, the colors that are depicted online are much brighter than the actual case.  Also, you can see some printing defects on the top left and bottom right corners.  The volume opening looks a bit chewed up, almost melted, but nothing you could see from afar, which is really what this case is all about, right?  I did notice that there is some space between the back of the iPhone 3GS and the case, which allows the case to shift around ever so slightly if some force is applied.  I’d prefer a flusher fit, but nothing I’d return the case for.

So the final result: the I Make My Case is worth every penny. Even though I didn’t pay for it this time around, I’m tempted to order some of my other designs and have a case for every other day of the week.  The processing time is efficient, the printing, though a bit off in color is fantastic and the individualism is more than omnipresent.  It would be nice if I could upload my own logo, and lowering the price would no doubt attract a larger audience.

Update:  In the light of day we noticed that the case doesn’t fit 100% flush on the iPhone’s body. As a result I’ve lowered my score to 3.5 from 4.5 stars.

Update 2: Case-mate read the review and sent me a new one with the same design.  This iteration lacks the faded corners but still isn’t a complete snug fit.  With that said I’ve now given the case 4 stars.

Pros:

• Custom case that looks prefab quality
• Easy to use website and UI
• Wide selection of artist palettes and growing

Cons:

• Website colors don’t accurately represent print colors
• Flash based website is a processor hog
• Custom print fades at the corners
• Case doesn’t completely fit flush

Start your Case-mate custom case today at I Make My Case for $40!

I’m not a big fan of any iPhone case.  They add too much bulk and just like the iPhone most have become ubiquitous and common place.  But no more.  Case-mate’s ‘I Make My Case’ website let’s you design your very own case using a massive selection of pre-rendered artist images along with a wide variety of tools enabling you to create a one off case that represents the individual buried deep down inside of you.  Best of all the cases are ultra slim and add little to no bulk to your handset.

Keep in mind, though, that they’re not designed to protect your phone from a tumble to the floor, but it will keep its back plate and sides free from scratches and wear.  One down side: they cost $40, but try coupon code ‘CES20′ at checkout for 20% off (expires: 1/31).

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Last year Powermat exploded on to the scene at CES and we were there to catch it in the raw.  This year, Case-mate is trailing behind the competition with the Hug, an iPhone case that brings “wireless” charging to the handset.  Essentially it uses the same technology – inductive charging – only it costs about $50 less; $89.99 to be exact.

Case-mate’s Hug is part of the Wireless Power Consortium, which should mean that the case or the pad will be compatible with future iterations.  Expect the Hug this month.

More pics after the ‘leap’

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Case-Mate is really pumping out some great products these days.  Not to be confused with their awesome cardboard iPhone case, comes this new one that holds your credit cards and ID’s.

For $30 you can choose from a bunch of different colors and impress fellow iPhone users with how compact you’ve become.  The case will hold two cards of your choice and however much cash you can jam up in it.  Also included is a screen protector film.

Available now.

[via Gizmodo]

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I’m gonna keep this short and sweet, much like the Naked Case 2. The clear case is best at protecting the iPhone (Gen 1 only) from scratches and the occasional bump. Because my testing didn’t include risking the virility of my iPhone I can’t say whether or not it would withstand a 1 – 2 foot drop. Given it’s lack of rubber housing and semi thin build, my guess is that it wouldn’t.

What the Naked Case 2 does do is completely protect the iPhone ‘s body and screen without inhabiting its touch sensitivity. In fact, the Naked Case 2 made it easier to grip the iPhone since it features a beveled flat front unlike the rounded corners of the iPhone.

The volume, vibrate, home button, camera and dock connector remain exposed, and unfortunately the Naked Case 2 render the iPhone incompatible with the included dock. I also noticed that the proximity sensor was slightly hindered by the Naked Case 2, and I ended up inadvertently muting a few phone calls.

The semi flat front didn’t prove comfortable for long term calls and left a ‘crick’ in my ear. Because the Naked Case 2 leaves the volume, dock and ear piece uncovered it tended to capture dirt, dust and pocket lint requiring me to occasionally clean it.

Installing the Naked Case 2 is relatively straight forward and features a ‘slide together design’ making it easy and much faster than a few other cases I’ve used. Because the Naked Case 2 is a clear acrylic plastic it scratches, and after 5 weeks of using the Naked Case 2 I was able to review all the bangs and scratches my iPhone might have incurred.

Final thoughts? The Naked Case 2 kept the iPhone looking new, naked (slim) and best of all scratch free.

Available here for $35

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